What is WordPress? Everything You Need to Know About WordPress

WordPress is something so popular that every now and then you might have heard about this term and wondered what WordPress is? Those who are interested in starting a blog will hear this name in their early research. Unfortunately during that research phase, people might end up with more confusion because of the technical terms in almost all articles. Even those who understand what the technical terms mean, might not find the answer to the real question. So here I am with this article for everyone who wants to know, what is WordPress?

WordPress is an excellent platform to create a variety of websites without any costs. From blogging to e-commerce to portfolios to magazines, it is a versatile Content Management System (CMS are web-based applications for creating and managing the content of a website). The core software is available for free and is maintained and developed with new features by thousands of developers all around the globe. In fact, it is an open-source license that means anybody can contribute to the development of the platform.

Evolution of WordPress

Evolution of WordPress from b2/cafelog to WordPress 5.3.2

In a simple non-techie term, WordPress is one of the most popular tools in the world for creating any type of website. Launched in 2003 as a fork of the b2/cafelog blogging system by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, it was initially used for blogging only. But with time WordPress evolved from creating blogs to any type of websites, including large enterprise-level sites and anything in between. WordPress gained its popularity because of its flexibility and simplicity which enables us to build and manage a full-featured website without having to learn to code.

WordPress is an open-source content management system under the GNU General Public License, which means that WordPress is and will remain free for the foreseeable future. Due to its large community full of talented people, WordPress has developed from a small blogging platform to a powerful content management system. As of today, WordPress powers an amazing 35.7% of all websites today.

To start with WordPress it’s really simple. But for beginners things might be a little more confusing because of two versions of WordPress. Even though both versions, WordPress.com, and WordPress.org can be the best platform for you depending on your needs and resources. They both have pros and cons. While we have an excellent article here summarizing the whole difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com, the main idea comes down to the following points: So, let’s take a look at this table to figure out which platform fits perfectly for whom.

Why use WordPress?

Even halfway into this article, it still might not be convincing for a few people out there. We have so many options available when it comes to building a website after all. WIX, Squarespace, Weebly are just some of the other alternatives to WordPress which are competent in their own right. The question is why choose WordPress over other platforms and if it is worth the hype. Here are the most important reasons to choose WordPress for your site.

WordPress is Free: Yes, WordPress which powers more than 35% of world’s website is free for everyone to use. It is an Open Source project and released under GPLv2 license which means you can use and modify it as you wish.

Fully Customizable: Because you have full authority of your WordPress site content means you can customize your website in anyway you please. There is no limitation when it comes to customization.

SEO Friendly: SEO, or Search Engine Optimization (aka getting noticed on Google) is also quite simple when you use WordPress. Of course, you need to learn a little about what SEO is, but with a simple plugin like SEO Framework you can get results in no time.

LargeCommunity: Whenever you come across difficulties or errors, there is a huge network of WordPress users all around the globe to help you out. Because of the wide network, this is evident from the many communities that make it easy for users to develop their websites.

Professional: You won’t be limited to tools, themes and functionality. With WordPress, you can create a more professional impression to your readers than a free blogging platform. You’ll have your own website address at www.yoursite.com instead of subdomain www.yourname.freeblog.com

Full Control: Unlike other free blogging platforms, WordPress gives you full control and authority over your blog. You can do whatever you want with your website and customize it as much as you wish.

Ecommerce is Simple: When it comes to e-commerce there are lots of options in WordPress, depending on the type products or services you want to sell. The most popular solution is WooCommerce.

What kind of websites can be built with WordPress?

Even though it started out as a blogging platform rather than creating a websites. Fortunately those days are gone :D. And it’s great that today WordPress is a diverse content publishing platform. Thanks to the WordPress contributors for creating a massive market of themes and plugins. With the help of themes and plugins you make almost any kind of website, ranging from an eCommerce store, to a blog, portfolio, membership site, business page, social network, online forum and more. The possibilities are truly endless.

Who Uses WordPress!

How to Get Started with WordPress?

Step 1: Get a Domain name for your website. Choosing a domain is the first and foremost task while creating any website. Domain name is simply the online identity for your business. i.e. name of your website in the simple terms. In other words, it is your website address or the URL which users type on the web browser’s address bar to visit your website. To come up with a good domain name, there are some blog name generators, which are indeed awesome tools that let you create a unique and creative name for your website.

Step 2: Choose a reliable hosting provider. This is the most crucial step to follow because web hosting is like a house on the internet where your website live. Some of the hosting providers offer free domain name too. We have a comprehensive article on best WordPress hosting with full plan details, packages and pricing, which might help you to choose the hosting plan that best meets your needs.

Step 3: Install WordPress software on your hosting server. Most of the hosting providers offer 1-click installation so that you can get the latest version of WordPress installed in a matter of minutes. Now steps for installing WordPress depends on your hosting but it’s really simple.

Step 4: Choose a WordPress Theme. In a simple terms, a theme is the face of your website which includes everything from the layout to the fonts to the sorts of modules available. There is a huge marketplace for both free and premium WordPress themes for you to choose from based on your resources and requirement.

Step 5: Add plugins to enhance and extend WordPress functionality. As with themes, there are thousands of plugins available, both free and paid. Plugins can do everything from improving security, generating site statistics, optimizing image files, enabling eCommerce, and much more.

Is WordPress Right for You?

If you’re looking for an easy tool to build your own blog or website without learning complicated codes, WordPress is absolutely right for you. And, you’ll find that WordPress is incredibly flexible, with thousands of themes, plugins, and support options to ensure that your site will continue to grow with you in the future. To learn more about this platform, feel free to check out these articles.